How to print 11x17 Blue Lines

An Inker friend of mine recently contacted me inquiring on how I print Blue Line boards. He's never done it before and decided it's time for him to learn since a lot of other inkers were doing it. I was instructing him over the phone, but it seemed overwhelming to him since he's never done it before. I decided to type up a step by step process with screen shots so it'll be easier for him to understand. Since I'm at it, I may as well just post it here for everybody to know. For those of you who have never printed out Blue Lines, here's my process...

First I open up a file in photoshop. It could be a tiff file, jpeg file, or any other type of file. I'm currently using Photoshop version CS3. Regardless, you can use any versions of photoshop and the process is still the same. Once you have the file opened, select IMAGE under your tab menu (third one over from the left after FILE and EDIT) as pictured here... Once you click on IMAGE, there will be a drop down menu. Select MODE (which is on the top of the menu. This will open up another menu, then select RGB COLOR. This converts your image to a file which can be colored.

Next step. Click IMAGE again to open up that same drop down menu. Select ADJUSTMENT (which is the second choice on top of the menu). This will open up another menu which you then choose HUE/SATURATION. Once you selected HUE/SATURATION, this window will open up...

The numbers you see above are the ones I typed in. Hue: 170, Saturation: 80, and Lightness: 80. Make sure you click the "Colorize" and "Preview" boxes on the bottom left so you can see what you're doing. Now, those numbers are my own preference. You can always slide the scale more or less to your own taste. If this is your first time, just use my numbers. Once you get use to creating blue lines, you'll get a feel of what you prefer then adjust it to what works best for you. When done, click the OK button. You just created a Blue Line image and you're halfway there!

It's time to print that blue boy up! Go back to your tab menu and click on FILE. This will open up another menu which you then click on PAGE SETUP as pictured below. What you're doing now is setting your printer to print at that larger 11x17 size.

In the center, choose your paper size. In my case, I'm printing out comic boards in which I which select "A3". There's also a choice for 11x17 which I don't select because the comic boards are a bit bigger than 11x17. Then I click OK to complete this task.

Keep in mind to check your page set up each time you print. Sometimes photoshop will reset itself without you knowing it and you'll end up printing out a default smaller image over a 11x17 art board.

Finally, print the blue line image out on your color printer. Make sure your printer is turned on. Click FILE on your tab menu then select PRINT. Sit back, relax and watch your printer spit out that blue line board.